1994 Vanavara Yakovlev Yak-40 crash

Cheremshanka Airlines

Company type	Regional airline
Industry	Aviation
Headquarters	Krasnoyarsk , Russia

Template:Infobox Airliner accident On 26 September 1994, a regional Russian airliner Cheremshanka Airlines operated a Yakovlev Yak-40 that crashed near the riverbank close to Vanavara, Russia. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 24 passengers and 4 crew members aboard. The official Russian investigation attributed the crash to pilot error. Due to adverse weather conditions, the flight was forced to abort multiple landing attempts. The flight crew failed to monitor fuel levels adequately, which led to fuel exhaustion and the subsequent crash. The investigation also criticized the airport authorities for not providing timely weather updates to the flight crew.

Flight

Cheremshanka Airlines, a regional carrier headquartered at Krasnoyarsk Cheremshanka Airport, operated this flight. Onboard the Yakovlev Yak-40 were 24 passengers—21 adults and 3 children—and a crew of four. The cockpit was commanded by Captain Anatoliy A. Danilov with First Officer Anatoliy G. Shcherbakov assisting. Also present were flight mechanic Mikhail N. Shurpatov and a single flight attendant.

While en route to Tura Airport, deteriorating weather conditions developed; however, Tura's air traffic control did not relay this information to the flight crew. Consequently, the crew encountered unexpected poor visibility upon arrival and missed the airport. After three unsuccessful attempts to land, they opted to divert to Vanavara airfield, located approximately 453 kilometers from Tura.

At approximately 41 kilometers from Vanavara and flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, both engines lost power due to fuel depletion. The crew then aimed for an emergency landing in a swampy area. Support efforts involved two helicopters and an An-24 aircraft guiding them toward a suitable landing zone near the swamp. Ultimately, the decision was made to attempt a landing on the bank of the Chamba River.

Captain Danilov instructed First Officer Shcherbakov and flight mechanic Shurpatov to visually locate the Chamba River from their windows. The landing gear was deployed as they commenced descent. Traveling at roughly 235 km/h, the aircraft clipped treetops causing the right wing to separate from the fuselage. The Yak-40 rolled sharply to the right before crashing inverted onto the riverbank, with its nose submerged in water and tail section resting on land. Due to lack of fuel, there was no fire or explosion; however, the impact was fatal for all occupants.

Helicopter footage from above revealed extensive destruction of the cockpit area and severe crushing of the fuselage, while the tail section remained comparatively intact. Personal effects and victims were scattered across a wide grassy area adjacent to the wreckage.

Investigation

The commission responsible for examining the accident determined that multiple factors contributed to the tragedy:

• The flight crew miscalculated the amount of fuel necessary for the journey
• V.A. Tsurikov, the duty navigator at Cheremshanka Airport, failed to adequately prepare the crew prior to departure
• The dispatcher did not promptly notify the crew about the sudden worsening of weather conditions at Tura Airport
• Due to insufficient fuel reserves, the crew opted to divert to Vanavara, which was located more than four hundred kilometers away, despite Baykit airfield being approximately one hundred kilometers closer (354 kilometers)
• During the approach to Vanavara, errors were made in selecting both the flight altitude and the point at which descent was initiated

External links

• Aerial footage of the crash site captured from a helicopter